Tag Archives: facebook page vs profile

If you’re a creative professional, you don’t have to be on Facebook, but my guess is you’ve got a backpack full of visual content to share and promote. And if you’ve ever stumbled across a blog post about social media marketing, you know that Facebook is ubiquitous – it’s the most widely-used social network and brands are killing it on Facebook.

If you decide to ditch Facebook altogether or have a half-baked Page, that’s your deal.

But I can tell you this:

People. Adore. Facebook.

(For now, at least.)

So how do you rock it out?

Let’s get basic.

Facebook Page versus Facebook Profile

You + me? We’re friends. We added each other. Now, we can write on each others’ timelines and tag photos from our hiking trips and book club meetups and recipe swaps.

We each have own our personal profiles. We’re not brands, companies, websites or stores.

We’re human.

But your blog/Etsy store/LLC/freelance business needs a Facebook Page — not a profile.

Your Page is connected to your profile only in the sense that you log in to your profile to obtain access to your Page. Your fans can’t necessarily see your personal profile though.

Categorize Your Page Appropriately

Before you can do anything, you’ve got to pick a category for your Page. The good news? You can change this once the Page is configured. The bad news? There’s no real stellar roadmap for picking the perfect category.

These are quick examples for each Page category:

Local Business or Place: Your mom’s Italian deli

Company, Organization or Institution: Nike

Brand or Product: Cheerios

Artist, Band or Public Figure: Justin Bieber and President Barack Obama

Entertainment: The New York Giants and Saturday Night Live

Cause or Community: Campaign for Cancer Prevention

Each of these categories comes with a laundry list of specialized options, so if you’re still stuck, click on one of the categories and scan the dropdown menu.

Show Us What You’ve Got

Just like your website, your cover photo and profile picture should heighten brand awareness. Use your visual real estate to convey what you do best.

Photographers might use a collage of portfolio shots for their cover photo with a text overlay identifying them and their core service or deal-of-the-month (e.g. 15% off Mother’s Day group portraits).

Graphic Designers and Illustrators might draw or design a cover photo to convey their attitude toward design for future clients.

Interior Designers and Architects might use blueprints or a photo of their favorite space to show off their personality and further their branding.

Fashion Designers might swap out photos of their sketches or dress forms based on the seasons and industry trends.

Application Developers might feature new app releases as they become available across carriers.

Get the idea? You know what your Page is about – but have you told anyone?

Get on it, girl.

BTW: Your Facebook Page should have a vanity URL (short, personalized and easy to remember). You’ll need at least 25 fans before you can create one, but once you hit that benchmark, I strongly suggest doing so. It’s super helpful for pointing people to your Facebook via print + digital materials (and they’re more likely to remember it).